STRQ- A Compendium
by SomeSortOfCat
Summary: ***SPOILER WARNING FOR MY MAIN WORK IN PROGRESS, 'STRQ'.*** Within this compendium you will find any and all notes, ideas, plot arcs, future conversations, OC details, Organizational rundowns, et cetera that I feel would benefit from a little "Reader-Level" insight and input. STRQ has to be OUR story as RWBY Fans, if it's ever to be noticed and adopted by Rooster Teeth.
1. Prologue

**STRQ**

 **A Compendium of Notes, Plot Threads, OC and Organizational Rundowns, Conversations, the Fruits of Spontaneity, etc.**

 **If you have not yet read 'STRQ', Please feel free to visit** **my profile and** **and get caught up on the story so far. It'll be the one of only two other works on my page... Should be easy enough to find ;)** **  
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 *********POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING for 'STRQ'*********

Hey! SomeSortOfCat here. This is an idea I had around the time I posted Chapter 16 of my Canon-Compatible Fanfiction, 'STRQ'. If you're reading this and HAVEN'T read 'STRQ', I would very much encourage you to do so BEFORE reading any further into this compendium. Just a quick jump over to my profile, you'll see 'STRQ' alongside its respective prequel, 'ORCL'.

My purpose for publishing this alongside my story is threefold. Firstly, I want an outlet where I can field-test new ideas to a broad spectrum of readers. I've said it before in messages to some of the followers of 'STRQ', I want my work to be OUR story as fans of RWBY. Yes, it's my fingers that do the typing, but I've also found that it's my interaction with YOU as fans of the show that often drive some of the best ideas that 'STRQ' will now undoubtedly have included. I will endeavor to keep spoilers for some of the bigger reveals I had hoped to add in later out of the compendium on the suggestion of one of my more involved readers. However, if you're of the disposition where you really don't mind getting a spoiler or two, let me know and I'd be happy to use you as a sounding board for some of the more distant ideas I have planned on using.

Secondly, sometimes I need a break from whatever chapter of 'STRQ' I'm on and the flow of its narrative. Taking such a break to focus on, say, fleshing out an OC, or working on a future conversation that I'd like to have take place eventually, it all helps clear my mind so I can go back to writing on the main chapter-by-chapter narrative without getting burned out on my own story.

Lastly, It's because I kinda like you guys. The FanFiction community has been one of the most incredible that I've ever gotten to interact with. I remain convinced that all the most serious fans of Monty Oum's legacy can be found here. Call this my gift to you all, plain and simple. If there's anything you're confused about, anything that requires clarification about my work, you can find it here. Character backgrounds, interaction dynamics, headcanon, whatever. It's ALL gonna be right here. Naturally, some things that end up here may change when introduced into STRQ itself. That's the nature of the beast, as they say. I didn't say everything that I posted in this compendium would be _good_ ideas. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy my craziness.

Thank you once again for reading, and as always, I look forward to your input and reaction to this expanded resource for 'STRQ'. Onward! To the Next Chapter!

 *********POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING for 'STRQ'*********


	2. Organizational Breakdown- Xiong Family

Xiong Crime Syndicate- The Family Business

Patriarch: Jīn Xiong

-Age: 55

-Race: Faunus (Bear), Trait: Bear claws (Always present, non-extendable like those of Ghira Belladonna or Tuckson.) Claws tipped in molten steel, which was then heat-treated and tempered while Jīn was conscious.

-Other Physical Characteristics: Height- 6'10, Hair- Black, full, groomed beard. Eyes- One, deep brown, the other, left, is stitched closed, and he has a massive scar running down from the middle of his forehead to his left jaw, skipping his neck and reappearing on his left chest. Build- Muscular, broad. Attire- Typically a very expensive 3-piece suit, known to rip his clothes partially at the seams as muscles bulge from fits of rage.

-Mentality: Selfish, obsessed with personal honor and his superiority over both other faunus and humans. Paints himself as a true progressive and philanthropist, having married a human woman and fathered a son (Hei Xiong, 8 years old at the time of STRQ) with no discernable faunus traits. He wants control, and he wants what he feels is owed him, pure and simple, something he's never had until setting up his criminal underground.

-Personal History: Jīn Xiong's father fought in the Great War. At the time, King Adin Zoroaster had promised equal rights to the faunus if they took up arms. Jīn's father accepted the King's word and left for battle in the Vacuo campaign. While gone, a rogue unit of human Vale soldiers raided his small northern-Sanas hometown. One of the deserters struck young Jīn down when he attacked with a piece of firewood, the sword-strike taking his left eye and cleaving the grievous wound that left the scar above. Jīn fell face-first into the snow, which slowed his bleeding, and the soldiers left him for dead, but not before killing his brother and dragging off his mother and two sisters. Jīn spent the rest of the war an orphan, cared for by a young human girl named Rosie who'd hidden in her family's cellar during the raid. Eventually, Jīn's father returned to find their town ransacked and his whole family save Jīn dead.

Jīn saw his father accepting the hand that was dealt the faunus after the war, with the latter leaving to help in the settling of Menagerie and building of Kuo Kuana. His father had seen too much death in that terrible campaign to seek revenge for what happened to his family. That wasn't good enough for Jīn, though. He wanted what King Zoroaster had promised- equal rights. He didn't hate humans, though, as most faunus did. He abandoned his father and, along with the girl who'd cared for him, wound up on the streets in Vale. From that point on, Jīn became adept at exploiting and manipulating others, forming a ring of children who stole and exploited for him before long. This small crime ring expanded rapidly, soon becoming one of the largest syndicates in Vale, alongside the Tsov and Tao families. When gang-war broke out between the three families, the Xiong's rose to the top due to Jīn's cunning, brutal tactics. He was willing to commit atrocities the other families simply weren't, and the Xiong enforcers exacted a terrible cost upon the Tsov and Tao families before the latter two surrendered and agreed to pay Jīn tribute. That takes us to the present day of STRQ, where he is the leader of the largest single shadow organization in the world, on the brink of gaining control of the police in Vale and with influence in the high-council. Jīn is perfectly positioned to hold Vale to its former king's promise- equal treatment for all. The only problem is, it'll be he who decides what equality really means.

Inner Council: Known colloquially as "The Table", these men and women are some of the original members of Jīn Xiong's crime ring he formed when he first came to Vale as a boy, as well as some additions he made when members of The Table have disappointed him.

-Members:

Waylon 'Smiley' Jones, Jīn's right-hand man and ranking enforcer. Ht. 7'3, Wt. 340 lbs. Hair: Shaved bald with scales tattooed across his face, scalp, and neck. Waylon is a faunus with the trait of crocodile-like jaws. A powerful and brutal warrior who has a penchant for eating his victims, his reputation alone is enough to instill a healthy fear in the entire syndicate. Four deep scars that match the spacing of splayed human fingers run across Jones' already hideous face that may explain why such a physically indomitable individual like himself is subservient to The Patriarch. Smiley has no formal combat training aside from spending his entire life as an outcast on the streets who had to fight and kill to survive as long as he can remember. He has developed an aura and semblance, and uses dual-bladed 'predator'-like gauntlets for quick eviscerations but prefers to brutalize and terrify his victims. "The fear makes the meat taste that much sweeter" is his personal catchphrase.

Rosie Calatine, known for her sharp, keen mind and acumen for strategy. 3 levels of seniority up from Frank 'Frankie' Valenti (deceased), Rosie was directly responsible for the operation to begin taking control of Vale P.D., one officer at a time, through bribery and blackmail. More than a few times, she had to request the services of 'Smiley' to intimidate police or threaten a member of that officer's family in order to force cooperation. Rosie also runs the day-to-day challenges and issues that arise before Jīn hears about them, only bringing concerns to him if they are truly warranted. This makes her the de facto leader of the Family on a strategic and operational level, acting on her Patriarch's orders to help bring about his "Vision" for the Kingdom of Vale. Oh, and she's Jīn Xiong's wife. Most powerful woman in Vale? Absolutely.

Carlo 'Money' Velasquez, the head accountant for the Family AND the Kingdom of Vale's largest bank. Second-richest member of the Family, behind Jīn himself. Not an original member of the Table, but after the previous treasurer was caught taking more than his share and subsequently eaten by Waylon Jones, 'Money' is more than happy to ensure that the money continues to flow from the Family's multiple sources of income, namely smuggling, trafficking, money laundering, and from those who owe tribute, namely the Matriarch of the Tsov and Patriarch of the Tao families.

Liliana "Whisper" Veilstrider is the head of the spy network Jīn Xiong put in place over all of Vale. Any move that anyone makes against the Family, you can bet 'Whisper' knows about it. Her network runs from street-urchins and pickpockets who get rewarded with a night under a roof and a hot meal for bringing useful information to her monitors, up through the monitors themselves and eventually to her own inner council of spies that manage each district of Vale. No one knows the identity of Liliana's spies, so if a district kingpin wanted to slip out of line, the Table would know about it.

There is a fifth, highly secret person who sits at The Table from time to time. The man rarely speaks, and when he does, even Jīn Xiong listens. His identity has not been revealed to any of the other members of The Table, purportedly by his own insistence. Whoever he is, he can make demands of The Table that only Jīn himself can veto. He takes and gives counsel to the other members of The Table, so he is considered their equal, but the truth is Jīn considers him the most invaluable of his entire inner circle. Whether or not he is in fact Jīn Xiong's personal mouthpiece in Vale's High Council or not is up for debate.

Seated further down The Table are the five District Kingpins, the highest-level leadership of the Commercial, Northern Residential, Industrial, Southern Residential, and Agricultural sections of the city. Each maintains their own inner council, but are all held accountable to the five main Table members and to The Patriarch.

Each district leader runs his or her district as they see fit. A lot of leeway is granted them, and they surround themselves with whoever can give them the best results, lest they get a visit from Smiley. Assassins like Vasily Häyhä, Blackmailers and extortionists like Frank Valenti, along with low-level enforcers who can be quite effective in keeping the lower ranks in line all fall directly under these district leaders.

Lastly, the street-level money-makers for the Family. These people, usually young men and women who've been set aside and passed up by society or who thought they could 'Make it on their own' in the harsh streets of Vale, deal drugs and contraband, commit petty larceny, and are paid with shelter and a wage that is carefully measured to ensure they can meet their needs but not ever reach up the societal ladder outside of The Family career progression itself. Kids like Tai, Jade, and Christof, and even Frankie before he became known for his skill at manipulating people and was promoted. Once they swear their lives, they are branded with the Xiong's Ursa Skull mark, to symbolize their commitment to their new Family. Such a practice exists all around Remnant, though not always common. Brands have been seen marring the skin of people roaming in bandit clans, in Faunus labor gangs, almost every resident of Vacuo, and even in established Mistraline crime syndicate members alike.


	3. Ramblings- The Beyond and the Dreamworld

Notes and Ramblings- The Beyond and The Dreamworld

The Beyond, as I've got it imagined, is a realm of memory. Perhaps the more people in the real world who remember you, the stronger your influence can be when reaching across that boundary and attempting to influence the people you left behind. I suppose that could be a parallel with how many asian religions, and nordic ones too, all paid homage to their ancestors or forebears, in order to gain their blessing. On Remnant, it seems because humanity has forgotten so much about its past that memory no longer has the power it once did. That seems to be a theme of RWBY, that humanity has so many legends and stories that were once fact and real history. It would make sense that the realm, the existence of which is built on the memory of humans, is fractured, divided, and fading. If Pyrrha and Summer were to ever be separated in The Beyond, they'd never find each other again, their souls compartmentalized into different people's memories. And perhaps when you are forgotten completely, your soul fades into nonexistence. Oh... Oh boy. I'm rambling, I apologize, but this little rabbit trail I just got lost on gave me another idea for the underlying plot of the Summer/ Pyrrha arc.

the beyond is a realm that consists entirely of memory. This means its very fabric is memory, and everything that exists within it is memory. So the Summer we know as the current-day Summer, her 'Soul' if you will, is the culmination of every memory everyone her life ever touched has of her. That's why she's able to see "everyone her life touched" in the present day as she explains to Pyrrha, and why every time she herself remembers something, the Beyond seizes onto that recollection and projects it through that I call 'The Veil'. The reason for that is because the Beyond is almost like a sentient dimension, and is able to transport its inhabitants to any moment past or present at their whim or against their will. The same is true of Pyrrha. She exists in the memories of everyone who knew her. The fact that some of the same people who knew Pyrrha also knew Summer means that the two souls are able to interact in The Beyond. However, you'll notice that no one like, say, Ozpin has wandered over to Summer and Pyrrha, since by my logic he would be able to. That's because Oz's soul is the compilation of countless others before. Ozpin has reached a point where some part of him exists in Memory, Story, Legend, and Myth simultaneously, what I consider to be the four levels of human recollection. Perhaps it takes longer for him to gather himself after he dies. Perhaps he has his own memories from one of his past lives that he'd want to survey. Either way, I think it's safe to assume Summer and Pyrrha will get a visit from Oz, before the latter reincarnates and merges with Oscar Pine. It's just a matter of when.

As for the souls trapped in The Beyond... They are far from powerless. Their abilities come from the strength of their own souls, combined with the strength of the memories of others. This was where I compared the Beyond to nordic or asian religions where they revere their ancestors and pray for their blessings. In the Beyond, the more a soul is remembered on earth, the stronger it becomes and the more able it is to influence others. This takes us to V5E11. The fight where Jaune fights Cinder, blinded by tearful rage at the MEMORY of Pyrrha. And when Cinder is ready to kill Jaune, and the two are about to charge at eachother, Ruby REMEMBERS Pyrrha's death, triggering her silver-eyed ability. Those two powerful memories, no doubt added to by Ruby's Light, and the presence of Ren, Nora, Yang, Weiss, and everyone else who remembers Pyrrha, grants Pyrrha the ability to directly influence events in the real world through the Veil. She yanks Jaune's arm forward, leading him into that stab, and thrusts aside that spear to deflect its aim, she boosts Jaune's aura with her own yet again enough to trigger his semblance and save Weiss, and her reward is that she is able to physically feel him when she embraces him across dimensions, even though he can't feel her.

On the flipside, what happens to a soul in The Beyond that is being forgotten in the real world? By my same line of logic, the soul begins to fade. Small parts of it are lost, piece by piece, until it ceases to exist. So, the person who arguably remembers Summer the most is Qrow, right? And he's been trying to drink away her memory for years, not knowing what it was doing to her with every swig he took. Before long, Summer will begin to lose parts of herself to the ever-ravenous void of forgetfulness. She'll be sustained by everyone's memory who her life touched for a while yet. But what happens when none still live who remember who she was? I don't know yet. It could be then and only then that her soul is allowed to rest. Or, it could be that she ceases to exist. There is no afterlife, this was it. Or perhaps they ended up in the realm of memory as a test of the lasting positive impact their lives had on others. Can they gain enough power through people's remembrance of them to meaningfully influence the world of the living? Enough perhaps to change their own fates?

Oh, and as far as the Brothers go... They might've left Remnant physically, but I believe they're very active in a spiritual sense. The Beyond, the Dreamworld, those are realms outside of time and space. We could very well have a direct run-in with one or both of the Brothers, at some point. I haven't decided yet. I do have an idea of how I'm going to use The Beyond, and Pyrrha and Summer specifically, to influence events in the story. I love the idea of the moment in V5C10 when Jaune gives that uncoordinated thrust at Cinder and damages her mask, that it was actually Pyrrha's guiding hand that yanked him forward. And I don't want to spoil it, but I know for a fact what I'm going to use that Dreamworld for. Even though it's clearly one of Salem's domains, it can be used to directly influence and interact with characters in the past, and therefore might be capable of changing the future.


	4. GLDN: Not Just Supporting Characters

**OC TEAM RUNDOWN: Team GLDN**

Golden, either as in gilt or made of gold. Also, in reference to something of incredible value, i.e., "The Gold Standard".

 **LEADER:**

GRETCHEN Rainart (Human). Nicknames: "Gretch" (Casual, everyone), "Little-bit" (Familial, specifically her older brother Hazel and her Father).

-Appearance: Gretch has the same deep-tan complexion as her brother Hazel Rainart, and a similar, but slightly-darker hair color. She keeps it long, and will often braid it in a single, loose braid to make it more manageable in combat. It's not uncommon to see her inserting flowers, fallen feathers, or autumn leaves into the braid. Her eyes have a ringular heterochromia: Deep blue about the edges of her irises, shifting to sea-gray nearer her pupils. She wears a brown leather bomber jacket over a blue halter-top and jeans, with a multicolored sash around her waist and black knee-length combat boots.

-Gretchen is a first-year student and close friend of Summer Rose, leader of team STRQ. Her weapon is an enormous, 80kg sword named Quake, which can usually be seen hanging in a half-sheath from her back. At 2m long, the weapon is larger and heavier than she is, but she is able to carry and wield it like a normal sword due to her semblance: Gravity Manipulation. In her own words:

"I can redirect the way gravity interacts with my body. You know how gravity is always pulling you down, and you're used to it so you don't really feel the effects but you know it's there? It's different for me. Ever since my semblance first kicked in back during the early part of combat school, gravity has felt like a river, flowing through and around my body. Mostly, that current always just pulled me down. The more I practiced, though, the more I could start to re-direct that current into my kicks, punches, jumps… I even figured out how to wall-run for short distances."

She is able to wield Quake because:

"...my control over my own gravity and the gravity of anything I touch allows me to swing it around like it doesn't weigh anything. Because well, technically, when I'm holding it, it doesn't."

 **MEMBERS:**

LILITH Lawcere (Faunus, Secret to all but her team). Nicknames: "Lil" (Casual, everyone, but she hates it).

-Appearance: Lil is of a petite build, quite literally the opposite of her friend and teammate Natalia Kashirina (below). Still, by merit of her being a RWBY character, she is far stronger than the average person who never developed their aura. She has fawn-colored brown hair that she keeps slightly longer than shoulder-length and in a loose ringlet that flows over her shoulder. Her eyes are a quick, intelligent, and piercing green with perhaps a twinge of brown near her pupils. A bright-green combat skirt and brown leather corset allow her the freedom of motion for her highly evasive fighting style. She also carries a quiver slung low across her right hip that connects to her corset.

-Lilith is a slight, quiet, beautiful girl with whom Qrow Branwen is instantly smitten during his first year at Beacon. Her weapon is a bladed bow named Silverfang, an extraordinarily powerful weapon with a draw-weight of well over 100kg. Most individuals without an aura cannot even draw the bowstring, but Lilith has become adept at firing many shots in quick succession from a variety of positions. Her semblance allows her to phase through solid objects, like walls, floors, and trees, and is exceptionally useful when she hides within a seemingly innocuous piece of the surrounding only to lean out and take a quick shot with her Silverfang at an unsuspecting target. She is lethally accurate out to 500m with her bow, and has a quiver of specialized, dust-enhanced heads that she can select based on the needs of the shot.

Manfred Adler DEITRICH Valkyrie VI (Human). Nickname: "Val" (Literally EVERYONE calls him this, even Professor Ozpin. His real name is far too long. And before you ask, yes. He is Nora's father).

-Val has pale skin, freckles, bright, unruly ginger hair and expressive cyan eyes that are often hidden behind that red unkempt mop of his. Those are all family traits in the Valkyrie household, ones he passed down to his daughter. He's tall, thought not quite as tall as Tai or Qrow, and is actually shorter than Natalia Kashirina, his eventual wife. He wears a black, hooded trench coat that stays opened and unbuttoned at all times, and has the right sleeve cut off. The left shoulder of the garment has a large silver shoulder bolster on the outside. That bolster is the anchor-point for his weapon's mounting system, a framework of steel pneumatic rods that run across his chest and back. A powerpack mounted beneath his left arm provides the whole unit with power, and he has a backup power supply in the middle of his back at the juncture point between two of the rods. Very rarely, he'll pull the hood up and don a pair of black designer sunglasses with mirrored lenses, but after having been teased for looking all "emo" and "edgy" by Talia, Val will typically stick to his normal look, completed by brown cargo pants and black combat boots.

-Val is a member of a powerful and wealthy aristocratic family in Vale. He hated his upbringing, citing his private history lessons as the only time he was able to mentally "escape" the confines of his family's mansion and imagine he were somewhere else. He finally convinced his Uncle, who had been the head of house in his parent's absence on business in Atlas, to allow him to train at Signal Academy. That is where he met Taiyang Xiao Long, initially by fighting as boys do, but eventually becoming close friends with Tai. Val's weapon is a massive mechanical exoskeletal arm that his normal arm fits inside. The arm, named Magnhnefi, has several hidden features. Pneumatic pistons in the forearm allow it to add tremendous impact power to already massively powerful punches. A blade extends from the outside of the metal forearm past the fully-articulated mechanical hand, giving him another three feet of sharpened steel added on to his considerable reach. The fist can swivel out of the way and a 137mm single-shot cannon will extend, allowing him a single, devastating surprise option in the right situation too.

NATALIA Kashirina (Human). Nickname: "Talia" (Casual, everyone), "Beast-Mode" (Self-ascribed).

-Talia is a powerfully built young woman who loves to lift weights. However, Despite her 'Butch' appearance, she is described as very, very pretty, with sculpted features, a high, graduated fade, leading into a wave of longer, deep auburn hair on top with a single wave of silver-platinum running through it. Her eyes are as dark brown as a rich malt beer, which happens to be her beer of choice when she's not throwing back pre-workout or whey protein. A simple young woman of simple tastes, Talia wears a tight, black, moisture-wicking workout shirt cut off at the waist. Black combat pants, a broad black leather belt, and a black bandolier of energy cartridges all try and fail to distract you from her sweet aaaaaaaaaaaabs. The few pieces of armor she wears, like on her knuckles, forearms, and boots, have a handmade or cobbled-together feel to them, and the motif of a bear's head is repeated in the design. "I am strong like bear," she can be heard saying from time to time, imitating an archaic form of the easily recognizable northern-Solitas accent.

-Talia is every bit as strong as Taiyang Xiao Long, who is the most physically powerful member of team STRQ. Though Val insists that he goes to the gym with her because he wants to, it's pretty clear from an early point in the school year that he's scared of her, and that she likes him. Her weapon is a massive energy blaster of Atlesian design, effectively a very early prototype of one of the weapons later fitted to 'Spider' class assault androids. She hip fires this beast, which she's named 'Deadlift', and is capable of sustained, rapid fire or a single blast that burns out an entire dust crystal of her choosing. The weapon can overheat easily, but she can load ice-dust to cool it just as fast. If she's out of ice-dust, she's a very capable martial artist, and will often toss Deadlift to the ground to continue fighting hand-to-hand with an enemy. Not many people are even going to be strong enough to steal her weapon... She'll come back for it later. Her semblance is a hardening effect of her aura, a forward-projected shield of pure aural energy that is quite impenetrable to claws, projectile weapons, and energy weapons. However, she can only keep that barrier active for so long. Her role as team GLDN's 'Damage Tank' is well-deserved.

HOW THE TEAM FORMED:

Team GLDN bumped into each other during their classes' initiation challenge, and along with team STRQ, were the only students to successfully make it to a temple in the ruins of the city of Ancient Vale out of the whole group that were launched. They collected their relics moments before the temple was destroyed by a herd of Goliath grimm. They are across-the-hall suitemates of team STRQ as well.

FIGHTING STYLE:

As a unit, few teams are as devastating as GLDN. Gretch, Val, and Talia are all bruisers. With her semblance, Gretchen is the most mobile of the team serving as a flanker. Meanwhile, Talia can tank damage from masses of enemies while protecting Val, moving in and sweeping a position with suppressing fire. Once close enough, Val can leap into the fray as he and Talia go to work back-to-back as the main-line offensive duo of GLDN. Lilith knows her limitations: She's not as physically powerful as Val or Talia, and not as mobile as Gretch. Her job is long-range cover. Her uncanny accuracy with Silverfang makes her a great asset as a sniper, and her ability to hide within solid objects makes her nearly impossible to find should she find herself in close-quarters with an enemy. If she were to be discovered and forced into close-range combat, she is quick and agile, well-adept to the curved blades built into the recurve of her bow and still able to fire as many as five arrows in less than four seconds.

ASSOCIATES:

Team STRQ, Beacon Academy.

GLDN acts in the same manner as JNPR does in the narrative, the difference being where RWBY is more or less the star-pupils of their school, STRQ has cohesion issues and it's GLDN that takes the accolades and notoriety early on in both team's time at the school. When the two teams begin working together to take down the Xiong criminal empire, their studies suffer a little, but the low-key real-world training makes them a force to be reckoned with on the sparring and tournament stages.


	5. Author's Message- 'STRQ' Re-Writes

**STRQ**

 **Author's Message: Upcoming Canon-Compatibility ReWrites**

Hey all, SomeSortOfCat here. This last year or so that I've spent writing 'STRQ' has been quite a ride, to say the least. All the way from my first story follower, the first favorites, all the way on up until now, where 'STRQ' has risen to become one of the most popular (If not THE most popular) pure retelling of team STRQ's story available in the RWBY fanfiction listings. I've got a long way to go before my work is worth mentioning in the same breath as Coeur Al'Aran's, but I'm awful proud of what I've managed to accomplish in this short time, regardless.

Now, the process of writing 'STRQ' has taught me a lot. No, seriously. I'm a completely different writer now than I was when I began this project. And that's something I can say could serve as a lesson to all of you aspiring writers… Writing well is very much a learn-as-you-go process. Just because you don't think you can write well now doesn't mean after practicing for a year that you won't begin to scratch your potential as I have.

And that brings me to the main point of this whole Compendium entry. The personal stylistic development I've undergone since starting 'STRQ' makes it necessary for me to look back on my work and seek ways it can be improved. The fact that the current volume of RWBY, Volume 6, has dropped an immense amount of detail about Remnant's past is a convenient excuse to go back through all twenty-four chapters I have published and update the narrative for canon-compatibility. Compatibility has always been one of my overarching goals with 'STRQ', so re-orienting the story to better fit what we now know about Remnant's forgotten past is a necessity for me, not a preference. Faithfulness to the world Monty left us is a core tenant of my writing style.

So, between updating for canon-compatibility and taking into account my personal development as a writer, there's no small amount of changes to be made to my work, as I see it. Here's a short list of things that I've discussed with some of you that I intend to go in and re-work.

Pacing: Increasing the amount of time between encounters with the Syndicate, delaying Jade's death until a few weeks into the semester, and possibly introducing her as a live character. We'll see, but basically I need to not jump into the Xiong story arc so quickly, and try harder to establish them as a real threat to our heroes.

"Inappropriate Stories": Qrow alluded to shenanigans in the day-to-day life of the members of team STRQ that the rapid pace of events thus far has made it impossible for me to really explore properly. That's going to include more development of relationship dynamics, some mischief, a few hijinks… Hey, it's monster-slaying high-school with co-ed dorms. Beacon needs to get crazier.

Re-tooling fights to show skill progression through the semester. Summer rolls up on campus and immediately asserts herself as a badass… But then proceeds to lose or nearly lose every fight after? Yeah, I'll fix that. And Raven and Qrow have barely had a chance to show of their capabilities! Such injustice.

A better-explored dynamic between Summer and her Father, Cedric. As close as the two are, she'd be calling him way more to ask for guidance, don't you think?

Renaming of some characters to better fit the color-naming rule. Now, I know the CNR is not absolute law. Names like Gretchen Rainart seem to ignore it, so I know I don't have to name EVERY character that way. But I ought to adhere to it more than I have.

More stuff about the Faunus. I need to show just how bad the racism is at this point in time, even in Vale. Get the White Fang Progressive Movement involved more (Ghira's good-guy WF, not Sienna's terrorist version.) I mention the WF one time, but never again. They should be much more of a symbol than they are now.

Now, that's not a complete list. I can almost guarantee that, as I move through and rework 'STRQ' chapter-by-chapter, changes and tweaks beyond what I've outlined above will manifest themselves.

And of course, I'll need YOUR participation. Yes, YOU. You, reading this, right now. I need YOUR suggestions and feedback too. PM me your thoughts, and also let me know if you feel up to acting as a beta reader for changes and chapters as I complete them.

Once again, thank you for helping 'STRQ' get where it is in the Fanfiction universe. I'm looking forward to working with y'all to create the RWBY prequel we all truly want RT to make someday.


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